The Artemis Quartet is one of an elite group of string quartets
on the world stage today. I would rank them alongside the Emerson,
Takács, Henschel and Pacifica. For Virgin Classics the
Berlin based quartet’s recent series of the complete Beethoven
quartets has been a splendid example of their prowess. This
latest release comprises Schubert’s final three and probably
greatest string quartets. This is not the first Schubert disc
that the Artemis has recorded. At the Teldex Studio, Berlin
in 2007 they successfully recorded the Quartettsatz D703
with the C minor Andante fragment and the String Quintet
in C, D956 (with cellist Truls Mørk) on Virgin Classics
5021132.

The brooding String Quartet No. 13 D804, composed in
February 1824 in the shadow of Schubert’s fatal illness,
is one of the greatest ever written. Known as the Rosamunde
it reuses themes from the incidental music to the unsuccessful
play of the same name. In the extended opening Allegro
the Artemis provides a liberal degree of melancholic yearning
exposing an undercurrent of brooding mystery. A cultivated piece
of writing, the highly lyrical Andante con moto presents
a tenderly lilting melody that pervades the score. In the Menuetto
the players establish a mood of brooding wistfulness - nearly
melancholic. The Hungarian folk-inflected Finale,
so refined and joyfully optimistic, is variegated with earnest
episodes.

My favourite account of the Rosamunde Quartet is the
1996 release played on period instruments by the eminent Quatuor
Mosaïques on Auvidis Astrée E 8580 (c/w D87). A
compelling release it features exceptional playing where the
personality of each player comes across so engagingly. In addition
I often play the highly satisfying account from the Italian
Quartet released on Philips 446 163-2 (c/w D810; D703; D887).
Another recording that keeps growing on me is the sensitive
and beautifully played version from the Mandelring Quartet.
Recorded in 2004 at Klingenmünster, Germany this is on
Audite (SACD) 92.524 (c/w D353).

The String Quartet No. 14 Death and the Maiden is one
of the most famous quartets; a powerful work full of melodic
invention. Composed in March 1824 right after the RosamundeQuartet this had to wait until 1831 for its publication
three years after Schubert’s death. Given Schubert’s
grave health problems not surprisingly the theme of death is
at the heart of the score. At times the writing is sombre but
it never feels morbid. The title Death and the Maiden
stems from material taken from Schubert’s early song setting
Der Tod und das Mädchen D.531 to a text by Matthias
Claudius which appears in the Andante con moto as the
source of the theme and set of variations. In the opening Allegro
there’s fire, energy and intense concentration conveying
an unsettling mood like a dark drama heavy with sinister foreboding.
Their highly effective playing of the theme and six variations
in the second movement Andante con moto is vibrantly
characterised. Opening like a funeral march I found the theme
suffused with melancholy and despair. At the third variation
6:24-8:14 the players release their fury sawing away furiously.
At 10:59-11:28 in the fifth variation the weight and intensity
of the playing is cranked up yet further. In the coda of variation
sixth I love the way the music fades peacefully - almost ethereally.
Fresh and squally with a distinct Slavic feel the Scherzo
is free from the melancholic tension of the first two movements.
Serving as a respite at 1:27-3:06, a peaceful episode helps
soothe the soul. A generally sunny Tarantella in a relentless
6/8 is played robustly by the Artemis with near breathless urgency
yet without any sense of loss of control.

The extremely popular Death and the Maiden Quartet has
numerous versions in the catalogue. My primary recommendation
is from the Italian Quartet. Remarkable for their sheer technical
excellence and impressive imagination their 1965 Swiss account
is on Philips 446 163-2 (c/w D804; D703; D887). One of their
earliest recordings is the Henschel Quartet’s exhilarating
1997 Munich account. It is well worth hearing on Arte Nova 47321
59220 2 (c/w D87) - later reissued on Arte Nova Classics ANO
59220 (c/w D87). I also admire the passionate account from the
Hagen Quartet recorded in 2009 at the Siemensvilla, Berlin on
Deutsche Grammophon 471 740-2 (c/w D667).

Completed in 1826, the String Quartet No. 15, D887 was
Schubert’s last string quartet to be composed. I have
read that Schubert took only eleven days to write it. Massive
in scale the intense G major Quartet was a radical change
for Schubert with its unconventional tonality and frequent unsettling
and aggressive character. The score had to wait until 1850 for
its premiere and was published posthumously the next year. At
fifty-one minutes the G major is often overlooked both on record
and in the recital hall in favour of the shorter preceding Death
and the Maiden and Rosamunde. The latter are shorter,
probably more immediately appealing lyrically with the distinct
advantage of having attractive titles.

Schubert’s forthright and persistent use of tremolo
is an effect frequently employed here. The Quartet is
given a gripping and stimulating performance by the Artemis.
Opening with an Allegro molto moderato that takes them
twenty-one minutes to encompass the Artemis demonstrate rapt
concentration in this impassioned music. There’s a ferocity
- almost violence - about this writing. Introduced by a plaintive
song-like cello line the Andante’s dramatic and
unsettlingly tragic writing feels symphonic in character. Playing
with remarkable rhythmic drive and relentless vigour in the
Mendelssohnian Scherzo the Artemis reveals a near repugnant
edge to the writing. At 2:40-5:39 the soothing qualities of
the amiable Ländler-like trio section come
as a welcome relief. In the final Rondo, Finale
a rather obsessive near Tarantella 6/8 propels the music
valiantly forward. Played with a heady vitality Schubert’s
quicksilver modulations are rather unsettling providing a curiously
Haydnesque mocking quality.

This Artemis performance can stand alongside the wonderfully
expressive 1977 Swiss account from the Italian Quartet on Philips
446 163-2 (c/w D810; D804; D703). The Lindsays offer a highly
intense and characterful interpretation recorded at the Bishopsgate
Hall, London. Originally released on ASV CDDCA661 I also have
the account as part of the Lindsay’s excellent 4-disc
Schubert collection on Sanctuary Classics Resonance CD RSB 403
(c/w D956, D810, D703, D804, D112). In addition I also like
to play the captivating 2010 account from the Kuss Quartet -
recorded at the SiemensVilla, Berlin on Onyx 4066 (c/w Berg
String Quartet, Op. 3).

I did think that at only fifty-one minutes an earlier Schubert
quartet from the teenage Schubert could have been accommodated
on disc two.

The Artemis Quartet with their gripping and responsive playing
do Schubert and their own reputation proud on this Virgin Classics
release.

Review
IndexesBy
Label Select a label and
all reviews are listed in Catalogue orderBy
MasterworkLinks
from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to
the review
indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Reviews
from previous monthsJoin the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the
discs reviewed. detailsWe welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin
Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to
which you refer.